Not many business owners might be aware of this, but one of the most popular business categories on online review site Yelp – apart from restaurants, hotels, and doctors – is shopping.

Check out Yelp in Chicago, for example. Right now there are more than 8,000 reviews of retail shops and local boutiques on Yelp, ranking second only to restaurants in terms of business categories with the highest number of reviews.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise at all that people love to shop as much as they love to eat.

Now, Yelp is banking on the popularity of the shopping category as it introduces the latest expansion of its Yelp Platform: the ability for users to shop at unique local boutiques online, through a partnership with Shoptiques.com.

After all, who wouldn’t want to shop for cozy cardigans or trendy jeggings from the comfort of their own home?

Addressing users who increasingly rely on customer feedback posted on Yelp to guide their purchase decisions, company VP for Business and Corporate Development Mike Ghaffary said, “Read reviews and highlights from the Yelp community for each boutique, browse their inventory in a sleek shopping interface, add to your cart, purchase, and get it delivered to your door, all on Yelp.”

Shoptiques.com is Yelp’s first partner in the shopping category. The result: a streamlined customer experience that essentially transforms Yelp into a one-stop online shopping platform, just as Ghaffary described. Currently, online shopping is available on the Yelp pages of more than 200 local boutiques, with thousands more to be added later this year.

A “Shop Now” button appears on the right side of the pages of participating local boutiques; shops’ inventories can also be accessed via a “View Products” link, also on the business’ Yelp page.

Winning Yelp tips for local boutiques

If you’re managing or marketing a business in the shopping sector – and this business is listed on Yelp – this new update should offer a new way to drive sales, encourage customer feedback, and improve your visibility online. It’s a double-edged sword, though: one- or two-star reviews might drive potential customers away.

To be able to take advantage of Yelp’s new online shopping capabilities, keep these following tips in mind:

Keep your inventory up-to-date. Errors and inaccuracies in your product menu could lead to negative customer feedback and low ratings.

Add great high-quality photos! Yelpers spend more time on business pages with photos than on pages without photos.

Show Yelpers that you value their feedback by actively managing and responding to online reviews.

Promote your Yelp presence by posting a link or widget on your site and other digital properties.

Migs Bassig

Migs is the Content Manager for ReviewTrackers. He's a creative writer who has helped numerous companies communicate more effectively online, and he loves sharing his local marketing knowledge to help brands and business succeed.

Discussion

FirenzeZ

June 1st, 2015

Yelp has really been picking up steam over the last couple of years. We’ll know that they’ve arrived as a permanent internet institution when we hear some conspiracy theories about how they’re evil and trying to take over the world. Any day now I’m sure.

Cristina Dy

Justin paw

August 27th, 2015

As it is stated in the article it is a double-edged sword. How can you be sure that your business will not end up with a bunch of negative reviews? There are millions of people who’s taste is different. They are changing their mind and mood often. They can like your company or product that second and hate it in another. Small business owner must make sure all is prepared before starting to play with a sword. A small mistake can ruin the reputations that was built for years.